INCIDENTAL FIDINGS: SAVED BY COVID-19
IJUST recently serviced my vehicle and oh boy, there is a huge difference, the car is now literally breathing very comfortably. My cousin Mathew always says “motoka ni service,” meaning that a vehicle needs to be serviced to operate smoothly.
And there is no truer statement than this, just like there is no other truer statement that all of us live but in only one mortal body each and that must be well taken care of.
It is amazing how many men take very good care of their cars but don’t care a bit about their own natural vehicle, their bodies. Yes, our bodies like cars also need to be serviced, they undergo wear and tear so once in a while they need to be thoroughly checked and worked on.
I think this is one difference I have noticed between different social classes is how one class invests in their health than the other. Mostly those that are of high class tend to invest a lot in their health and do regular checkups but the other group only discovers certain conditions only when they are admitted in hospital.
And this really has nothing to do with money but mindset, because the checkup I am talking about is the basic one and with the introduction of NHIMA I’m sure everyone can access these services.
I know and I am impressed by one of my patients (still recovering from Covid-19) who had taken advantage the time he was in India on a business trip to have a thorough medical checkup.
After the tests were done, it was discovered that he had a high PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). A high PSA tends to indicate a male has a problem with their prostate gland one of the most common problems in elderly men and may be indicative of prostate cancer which can be confirmed by a histological examination of a tissue biopsied from the prostate.
His prostate was biopsied and showed it was in early stages of cancer and that he was lucky to have had it discovered at that time. He was eventually treated and very fine in that aspect at the moment.
Of course not all of us can have the privilege to go out of the country for tests and we don’t really need to unless otherwise, because most of our medical facilities have improved and can do most of these tests and other services once only done abroad.
This is the reason why the father of the nation, the late Dr Kenneth Kaunda was treated at the state of art Maina Soko Medical Centre by well qualified medical personal.
INCIDENTAL FINDINGS: THE SILVER LINING OF COVID-19
In as much as everything about Covid seems and sounds like bad news, there seems to have been something good along this gloomy journey.
Covid has made people think twice about their health. For most of our patients, we have only discovered about their health problems such as heart problems, kidney problems, liver problems, hormonal problems even HIV status just because Covid brought them to the hospital.
THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR CHECKUPS
A generation ago, people used to see their doctor only when they were sick, or dying. Regular medical checkups can help find potential health issues before they become a problem.
Nowadays, doctors are able to detect health conditions or diseases early and early detection gives you the best chance for getting the right treatment quickly, avoiding any complications. Indeed by getting the correct health services, screenings, and treatment you are taking important steps toward living a longer, healthier life.
THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR CHECKUPS
There are number of health benefits associated with regular medical checkups, among them:
• Help to reduce your risk of getting sick
• Help to detect potentially life-threatening health conditions or diseases early
• Help to increase chances for treatment and cure
• Help to limit risk of complications by closely monitoring existing conditions
• Help to increase lifespan and improve health Help to reduce healthcare costs over time by avoiding costly medical services
SAVED BY COVID-19
Not so long ago there was a famous story purported to have happened in Kenya of how a lioness adopted and was tending for a baby impala. It is said the lioness took care of the helpless impala for some weeks even protecting it from the other lions that were trying to eat it. This was shocking because how could the ultimate land predator, (the lioness does more hunting than the male lion itself) was able to protect the prey it was supposed to feast on. Well, this world is full of mysteries.
One such mystery was the case of a man once attended to in a Covid centre. I would comfortably say he was literally saved because of Covid or let me just say by Covid-19 itself.
He was brought on a stretcher looking lifeless with obvious signs of problems in breathing and was also running a fever. Of course Covid had been confirmed by PCR and that is why he was sent to our centre.
The gentleman was found to have also been anaemic with a very low HB of 1.7 when the normal should be above 14 for him. He was also found to have Malaria and TB which were all.
He was in his 50s but had not been to the hospital in a long time, he was at home nursing himself with whatever he was advised by the other healers until the situation got out of hand, ended up catching Covid-19.
And because of the excellent contact tracing skills of Dr Agatha Lloyd caught up with him and landed him at the Levy Covid Centre, then the only one in Zambia hosting and treating Covid-19 patients.
We ran around to organise pint after pint of blood, he was transfused, the malaria was also aggressively attended to with artesunate and coartem and he was started on TB medication.
In a week’s time he improved tremendously and by the end of the second week the man was walking again and is very fine. Indeed, thanks to Covid that his life was saved because all the other diseases could have also claimed his life if left unattended to.
We can’t over emphasise the need for preventive medicine either for Covid-19 or any other preventable diseases. Our lives are in our hands or let me say our bodies, so it’s up to us to take good care of them.
Please let us continue observing the necessary guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 which include masking up properly, good hand hygiene, socialising wisely and also taking the Covid vaccine.
UNTIL THEN, ALUTA CONTINUA.